Family and clan
Awrtable (Ortable, Darod)
The Awrtable (Ortable) are a Darod clan that trace their line to Yusuf, a son of Darod. They live mainly in Nugaal and Mudug in Puntland, around Eyl, Burtinle, Garowe and Gaalkacyo, with groups in Ethiopia and Jubaland. Their largest line, Wikipedia says, is Muse Ibraahim. Their elder carries the title Ugaas.
Name and family tree
The Awrtable are a clan of the Darod. The name is also written Ortable, Aurtable and Owrtable (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup).
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Darod > Yuusuf > Awrtobleh, and also Darod > Sa'ade > Awrtable > Mur'ase (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009) |
| World Bank 2005 | Awrtable stands as its own line under the Darod, beside Harti, Ogaden, Marehan and Leelkase (World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2) |
| ACLED 2025 | Codes Darod > Awrtable, and a separate Darod > Dhulbahante > Awrtable (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Awrtable is Yusuf, the youngest of the sons of Darod (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup) |
Wikipedia says the name joins awr, a large male pack camel, and table, "he who ties a knot". It tells a tradition that Yusuf, raised by his mother's Dir kin, tied up their camels. In the story, he did this to warn his father and brothers of a plot (same source). See the Darod tree.
Main branches
Wikipedia gives this Awrtable tree, citing Généalogie du peuple Somali and the African Studies Centre (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup):
| Line | Groups named under it |
|---|---|
| Ibraahim | Muse Ibraahim, Maxamed Ibraahim, Geedi Ibraahim, Jamac Ibraahim, Guled Ibraahim, Ahmed Ibraahim and Farah Ibraahim |
| Other lines | Fiqi Idiris |
Wikipedia calls the Musa Ibrahim the largest Awrtable line. It also reports a tradition that the Dabarre clan of the Rahanweyn descend from the Awrtable (same source).
Abbink's chart names Mur'ase under Awrtable (Abbink 2009, Darod chart).
Where they live
No census counts Somalis by clan. ACCORD notes that Somalis often claim more members than their groups have, "in order to demonstrate strength" (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11).
| Place | What the sources record |
|---|---|
| Eyl, Nugaal | "Close to the Eyl port town there is another smaller clan, the Awrtable" (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Garowe | The EUAA lists "Darood/Awrtable" among groups living in Garowe (EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe) |
| Nugaal, Mudug and Bari | Wikipedia names Burtinle, Gaalkacyo, Garowe, Eyl, Godob Jiraan, Bacadweyne and Boosaaso among their towns (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup) |
| Ethiopia and Jubaland | Wikipedia places groups in Ethiopia's Somali Region, at Afdheer and Shilaabo, and in Jubaland at Jamaame (same source) |
See Nugaal, Mudug and Puntland.
History on record
- Before 1960. Wikipedia says that before 1969, the Awrtable "made up a majority of Darod residents" in Mogadishu (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup).
- 1943. Wikipedia says Abdi Yusuf, of the Awrtable, was the first Somali killed in the Dhagaxtuur uprising against Italian rule (same source).
- 1943. Wikipedia names Haji Diriye Hirsi, of the Awrtable, as a founding member of the Somali Youth League (same source). See the Somali Youth League.
Elders and customary law
Senior Somali clan leaders carry titles such as suldaan, ugaas or issim. Their role is "mainly judicial and representative" (UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
Wikipedia names Ugaas Omar Geele Mohamed as the current Ugaas of the Awrtable (Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup). See xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA's 2025 list of major clan conflicts does not name the Awrtable (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1). The EASO describes Nugaal as a region with "no major clan conflicts on-going" (EASO 2021). See clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Place in the tree. Abbink shows Awrtobleh under Yuusuf and Awrtable under Sa'ade. Wikipedia makes Awrtable the same person as Yusuf. ACLED also codes an Awrtable group under the Dhulbahante.
- Dabarre. Wikipedia reports a tradition linking the Dabarre to the Awrtable. Abbink and ACLED place the Dabarre under the Digil.
Read more
Sources
- Wikipedia, Awrtable, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009 · hdl.handle.net
- World Bank, Conflict in Somalia, 2005, Appendix 2 · openknowledge.worldbank.org
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11 · ecoi.net
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, Garowe · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Somali clan tree: DarodEvery Darod clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: DirEvery Dir clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: every clan, sub-clan and lineageThe full Somali clan tree, family by family down to diya-paying groups, from Abbink 2009, ACLED 2025 and the World Bank, with a download.
- Somali clan tree: groups outside the clan familiesGroups Abbink places outside the Somali clan families, and the Somali Bantu groups in ACLED 2025: part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: HawiyeEvery Hawiye clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.
- Somali clan tree: IsaaqEvery Isaaq clan, sub-clan and lineage in Abbink 2009 and ACLED 2025, level by level, as one part of the Somali clan tree.